Donald J. Pease ( born Toledo, Ohio, 26 Sept. 1932 - died Oberlin, Ohio, 28 July 2002) served eight terms as Representative to U.S. Congress from Ohio's 13th District, an area in northeast Ohio.
Donald Pease attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, supporting himself through college by working summers as a laborer at a Toledo oil refinery. Pease was president of the student body; he edited the student newspaper (The Post) and was a student reporter for the Athens Messenger. He graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor's Degree in journalism in 1953. He earned a Master's Degree in government from Ohio University in 1955 and completed graduate work as a Fulbright Scholar in England.
After serving two years in the U.S. Army (1955-1957), Don Pease moved to Oberlin, Ohio. Mr. Pease became editor and co-publisher of the weekly local newspaper, Oberlin News-Tribune. His political career began with his election to the Oberlin City Council in 1961.
Mr. Pease served in the Ohio Senate from 1965 to 1967. Redistricting led to his defeat in the 1966 election, but in 1968 he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives, where he served from 1969 to 1975. In 1974, he was again elected to the Ohio Senate, where he served from 1975 to 1977.
Early in his public service, Don Pease established a reputation for honesty and integrity, which he maintained throughout his political career. Mr. Pease was a member of the Democratic Party and was regarded as a liberal (supporting workers' rights, education, and similar liberal causes), but he was well respected as a reasonable and ethical individual, even by his conservative colleagues, who saw him as a "straight arrow."
In 1976, Mr. Pease was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (95th Congress). He served eight terms in Congress.
Pease decided not run for re-election in 1992. After leaving Congress, he taught as Visiting Distinguished Professor of Politics at Oberlin College and was also appointed by President Clinton to the Amtrak Board of Directors, where he served five years.
Don Pease married Jeanne Camille Wendt August 29, 1953. One daughter, Jennifer, was born August 30, 1964.
Don Pease died in Oberlin, Ohio, 28 July 2002.
